Linux DNS Servers Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to DNS servers on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including Bind, dnsmasq, and DNS server configuration.

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Table of Contents

1. Bind Setup
2. dnsmasq Setup
3. DNS Configuration
4. Troubleshooting

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Bind Setup

Install Bind

Install Bind:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S bind

# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable --now named.service

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install bind9

Fedora:

sudo dnf install bind

Configure Bind

Edit config:

# Edit named config
sudo vim /etc/named.conf

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dnsmasq Setup

Install dnsmasq

Install dnsmasq:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S dnsmasq

# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable --now dnsmasq.service

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install dnsmasq

Fedora:

sudo dnf install dnsmasq

Configure dnsmasq

Edit config:

# Edit config
sudo vim /etc/dnsmasq.conf

Settings:

domain-needed
bogus-priv
listen-address=127.0.0.1

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DNS Configuration

Test DNS

Test server:

# Test DNS
dig @localhost example.com

# Or
nslookup example.com localhost

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Troubleshooting

DNS Not Working

Check service:

# Check status
systemctl status dnsmasq

# Check logs
journalctl -u dnsmasq

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Summary

This guide covered DNS servers for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including Bind and dnsmasq.

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Next Steps

• Networking - Network setup
• Security Configuration - Security
• ArchWiki DNS: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Domain_name_resolution

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.